Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge

First of all, what type of tasks is he talking about? What are these things that can be "got done"? Well, what they're not are the routine tasks on your job description that you're already doing efficiently day in, day out. No, these are other things – things that will make you do your routine tasks better, such as redesigning the content of that report you produce every week or improving how your team interacts with the finance department.

In this context, the things that are most worth doing go beyond simple problem-solving. When you solve a problem, you just get back to where you hoped you were in the first place. If possible, take a broader view and work on turning completely new ideas into reality.

Much of this book is based on what the author calls the Getting Things Done model. This involves four elements that are the keys to getting things done: wants, reality, people, and you. It's a simple model, but that's why it's powerful. It holds true in any circumstances, and it's easy to remember, so there's a much better chance you'll be able to use it to help you when you need it most. Whether you're in a meeting where everyone is discussing issues and options but no one is pushing the group to make a decision, or whether you're trying to figure out why no one gives you the data you need in time for you to prepare your weekly report, remember: wants, reality, people, and you. Decide what each of these four things means for your current situation, and you'll be well on your way to a solution.

There's a lot behind each of these four words – wants, reality, people and you – so let's look a bit closer at them.

Wants seems simple. Ask people what they want, and they will usually tell you straight away. But ask them why they want it, and it may take them longer to answer. A really good tip here is to keep asking your coworkers, "Why is that really important to you?" until you get down to what really motivates them. And knowing what really motivates people is crucial, because change will only happen if it is fuelled by people's motivation.

However, remember that what they say they want may not be the only way of giving them what they really want. Do you really want to go to Barbados, or do you actually just want to relax on beautiful beaches in a warm climate and go snorkeling, in which case another destination might give you all of this and more?

Sometimes, of course, people don't actually have a clear idea of what they want, and this gives you a great opportunity to get things done. Help them to find out what they want, and they'll usually be grateful. And if you pay particular attention to the things they want that you want too, everyone can win.

Of course, you can't always have what you want. So how do you work out what is likely to be possible in your organization? The author has two great tips here. First, follow the money, and second, trace the time. Decision-makers in organizations allocate money and resources to areas they believe are important. They also spend more time on those things. So work out where money and time are being allocated, which hopefully should be on the same things. If you try to get something done that contributes to these areas, not only are you likely to get more support, but you'll get more recognition if you succeed.

Having said all this, you'll often find that no one has set the priorities, so regard this as an opportunity for you to decide them yourself.

So, you know what you want to do. But to get things done, you need to work out HOW you will get what you want, and to do this, you need to know where you're starting from, which brings us to the next part of the Getting Things Done model – reality.

Reality seems an easy concept to understand. We all know where we are now. But that's just the problem. We all have our own view of where we are now, and when you're trying to get things done, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to assume that everyone else sees a situation the same way you do.

So, having worked out where you are now and where you want to be, how do you get things done? Well, this is the hard bit, because it involves the third element of the Getting Things Done model, which is people. People generally don't want to change. They pride themselves on doing things the current way, to the best of their ability, and they may feel that moving to a new way of doing things devalues the hard work they did in the past.

The author offers good advice about how to deal with this: take your time. Don't expect change overnight. Don't think you've failed if it takes a long time for your changes to become the new reality. And work out what a realistic time frame is for your project, so that you judge yourself and others appropriately. This helps to create what the author calls a culture of accomplishment, and when you've got this going, people will be much more open to new ideas.

Of course, to work successfully with others, you need to have good relationships with them, and this in itself requires time. Develop rewarding and useful business relationships by helping the people you want to help you. The author talks about having a relationship web, and carries the analogy through. When a fly hits a spider's web, the spider runs to investigate. You should do the same: when someone new comes into your network, run and investigate. Find out how the people you work with like to do things.

The author suggests that you learn about personality types and leadership styles, so that you can understand others better, and this is a really great, practical tip. You'll find articles about both topics at MindTools.com.

One particular group of people you'll surely have to deal with when you're getting things done are decision-makers. The author has good advice on how to deal with them. First of all, he says, don't demonize them, or at least not until they deserve it! Thinking or talking about decision-makers in a negative way, just because they're in charge, doesn't help. Instead, identify what you have a problem with. Is it that they're being rigid and inflexible? Do you feel that they're not listening to you? Stop! Are you being rigid and inflexible with them in expecting them to rubber stamp your idea? Are you listening to their reasons for not doing what you want? Take the lead with the behavior you want in the relationship. In addition, you will need to respect their authority if you want to gain their support. A good way of doing this is to make it clear to them that you expect to be held accountable for what you're doing.

We've talked so far about how "Getting Things Done" involves wants and reality and people. But the key to getting things done is, of course, you. You may not be in charge, but you can certainly get things done. How much you want to get done is up to you, so start by taking a step back and deciding how much of a challenge you want, and how much you want to progress your career at this time. Then get on and do something. Don't wait, initiate, says the author, and he's right.

Look for opportunities in the ways you've already heard about – such as identifying what you want, talking to others about their wants, and following the money. Some of the projects that emerge may be small, and don't allow you to use your full set of skills and talents, but do them anyway and build what the author calls a pattern of accomplishments. Gaining a sense of achievement and, if you're lucky, recognition, by getting small things done, is always better than doing nothing while you're waiting for a perfect opportunity that may never emerge.

And while we're on the topic of recognition: take control of getting rewards for your work by choosing projects that will have intrinsic rewards, such as personal development, improving your resume, or simply improving your organization. You can also influence the extrinsic rewards you get by making sure that people whose praise you value know what you've been doing. And be sure to praise others when they deserve it.

Taking control of your rewards is just one example of a wider theme that the author emphasizes throughout this book – that your work is only part of your life. So the first step to taking a lead at work is taking a lead in your own life where you are in charge. He talks about both work and life being games: at work, you need to remember that it IS a game, with rules and other players, but also coaches and spectators whose support you can earn. In life, though, you decide the rules, which cover things like your values and which work game – or employer – you want to play. A simple approach to help with this is to think in terms of I not they. So don't say, "They won't let me do that." Instead, say, "I need to find a way to do that."

These ideas fit in closely with Mind Tools' goal-setting course, Design Your Life, which goes into far more detail about how to identify your wants, and the steps required to achieve them, as well as helping you commit to the work involved.

Back at the start of this podcast, we promised to tell you about the potential cost of getting things done, and there always is one. It's courage. Stepping forward to do something involves risk. This could be the risk of rejection, the risk of it not working, the risk of losing what you've got, or the risk of not being liked by others because they lose something as a result. It takes courage to act in risky situations, but you can give yourself courage by understanding the size of the risk to you. Do this by identifying what you want and what you have to do to get it. Then work out what you're afraid of, what you have to lose, and whether you can live with these consequences. If you can, then go ahead!

Often, simply writing down the negatives helps you to see that they're not so bad after all, and this will give you courage. In addition, stay focused on what you have to gain, and how sad it would be if no one seized the opportunity to do something. But above all, take courage from the knowledge that you've prepared properly, and that means understanding the four elements of the Getting Things Done model: wants, reality, people, and you.

The final chapter of the book is a list of twenty actions that get things done at work. These actions turn the Getting Things Done model into a set of practical steps you can start on today. But they also show that this book could have been given a much more high-brow title than "Getting Things Done When You Are Not In Charge," though we're glad it wasn't. It could have been called "An Introduction to Change Management" or "Change Management 101." As well as being boring, that could have been off-putting for many of the very people it's designed to help – people who aren't in charge so don't see themselves as change managers, who many of us think of as practitioners of a mysterious black art, and who are usually highly paid consultants.

But back to the twenty actions that get things done. You know how all good objectives should include a time frame? Well, two of our favorite actions from the author's list have just that. The first is this: "Decide on one action you could take during the next four months that fits with what you really want and is quite different from what you've been doing recently." Remember his advice - don't wait, initiate? Well, this is what you can initiate right now. The second action is: put some time in your calendar every month to think about pursuing at least one creative idea.

And he suggests many more powerful actions. A good one is to set up an informal appraisal of your work by your coworkers. Ask them to assess how you work with them and how you contribute to the team's work. You should also self-analyze, and take control of your own development.

Volunteer to do small projects for your boss so that you start being seen as someone who gets things done. This will bring other resources to you. If you have a planning cycle coming up in the next six months, talk to your work group about a project you could all do that would improve the process and benefit yourselves as well as the wider organization. Look for opportunities to work with potentially competitive groups rather than against them. Talk to them and see if you can identify some shared goals that could only be achieved with your joint resources.

Finally, spend time regularly with six key people from both work and your wider life. And put this time in your calendar or it won't happen.

So who can benefit from all this advice? As it says in the title, this is first and foremost a book for people who are not in charge. But it's a useful read for those who are in charge too. If you're in charge, you'll find out how to help your people develop themselves by taking the initiative. And if you can do this, you'll be respected as a good boss to work for, because employees will develop while they're part of your team. You'll also be respected by your peers who lead other teams, because your staff get things done. By helping others succeed, you'll succeed.

If you're quite experienced at working effectively in a changing organization, some of this advice may seem like common sense to you. But when you're building your career, it's an enormous help to be shown that what you think is the right approach really IS. And you will certainly find extra tips in the book to add to your own ideas about how to get things done in your current role.

That's the end of this episode of Book Insights.

"Getting Things Done When You Are Not In Charge," by Geoffrey M Bellman, is in its second edition and is published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.